The Cleveland Browns and QB Shedeur Sanders’ future remains uncertain.

While Sanders is struggling to secure his starting quarterback position, analyst and Browns expert Tony Grossi is under fire for his comments on the rookie. 

On Monday, Tony Rizzo, host of The Really Big Show, and Grossi weighed in on “what does Shedeur have to do to make them not draft a quarterback at the first round next year?”

Grossi noted that if Sanders gets the job this season, he has to end the season with a 9-8 record. And Rizzo added that Sanders would need a “Drake Maye-like” 2-year transformation, and “have to win. Maybe go to the playoffs for god’s sake.”

And these opinions irked fans, both Maye’s and Sanders’.

One X user commented on the rationale of this proposition, which overlooked the history of the Browns’ failed attempt to rise above from the bottom of the chart.

“So he has to lead the Browns… THE BROWNS to a Super Bowl in year 2 to secure a spot as franchise QB,” the comment read.

In its 78 years, the franchise has neither made it to the Super Bowl nor won the championship. Moreover, in their 39 all-time playoff appearances, the Browns hold a 17-22 record.

Most recently, they made it to the postseason in 2020 and 2023 under former head coach Kevin Stefanski. But since then, the franchise, especially the offense, has tanked disastrously. 

So, expecting a 2025 pick who threw seven touchdowns, 10 interceptions for 1,400 yards in his rookie season, seems like a far-fetched idea. Even if it came from Grossi and Rizzo, whose careers span decades. Despite how prominent their voices are in the Browns community, this stance bothered many fans. 

After hearing the take, one fan took a jab, “Lmao how do these guys keep their jobs???”

And another wrote, “Do these people even think before they talk? Or is it just hot take after hot take with zero substance?”

But mostly, fans are upset at Grossi for bringing up the New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.

The 23-Year-Old’s Presence in the Patriots Has Completely Transformed the Franchise for the Better

He has remained marginally successful from the beginning, unlike Sanders. For example, Maye was a first-round prospect and was the third overall pick of the 2024 draft. 

Sanders, 24, on the other hand, was predicted to be a first-round pick too, but faced a massive drop and became the 144th, fifth-round pick eventually. Moreover, he was benched as QB4 for the first weeks, only to put forth a lukewarm performance later.  

Which is why two Maye fans refused to validate this conversation. 

“3rd overall pick Drake Maye?????” one wrote. 

And another curtly pointed out that Sanders has to possess Maye’s talent to pull off a Super Bowl campaign as he did.

“Well that's not happening,  he needed to have Drake Maye Talent 1st,” they wrote.

In 2025, Maye became one of the youngest players to ever appear in the Super Bowl. Moreover, as the franchise quarterback, he scored 31 touchdowns against eight interceptions for 4,394 yards. The Patriots competed for the Lombardi Trophy, only a year after recording their lowest season score yet: 4-13.

Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Joyita Das